MIAC Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – A pair of Saint John's University golf student-athletes, junior David Schneider (Albany, Minn.) and sophomore Preston Kopel (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Foley), earned 2018-19 Winter and Spring Academic All-MIAC honors on Thursday, June 27.

Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 on a 4.00 scale to qualify for Academic All-MIAC recognition. Athletically, golf student-athletes must either compete in a minimum of 12 competitive rounds and/or participate at the MIAC Championship in the fall. 

SJU tied for 21st at the NCAA Championship, the program's 17th appearances at nationals in the last 20 seasons (since 2000), May 14-15 at Keene Trace G.C. in Nicholasville, Ky. The Johnnies recorded a two-round total of 623 (+19) and missed the cut (top-18 teams) by three shots.

A biology major with a 3.61 GPA, Schneider qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championship's final two rounds. He finished 21st out of 216 golfers with a four-round total of 297 (+9) and ended the season second on the team with a 74.6 average in 29 rounds. Schneider was named GCAA All-America honorable mention in addition to GCAA All-America Scholar and GCAA All-Region honors in 2018-19.

Kopel earned the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the NCAA Championship, in May thanks to a perfect 4.0 GPA in economics. The honor was the SJU golf program's second in the last three seasons as Mack Farley '17 won the award in 2017. He averaged a 76.0 over 27 rounds in 2018-19.

A two-time GCAA All-America Scholar, senior Jack Koehler (Eden Prairie, Minn.) graduated May 12 with a 3.45 GPA in economics. He led SJU with six rounds at par or better and finished third with a 75.7 average in 27 rounds this season. The conference coaches selected Koehler as an All-MIAC honoree for the second consecutive season in early May.

Junior Jon Koenig (St. Paul, Minn./Apple Valley) averaged a 78.9 in 10 rounds this season, two shy of the Academic All-MIAC requirement of 12. He is an English major with a 3.79 GPA.